Birmingham, Ala. – Juncos Racing continues to dominate the 2014 Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires with driver Spencer Pigot capturing both wins in Rounds 3 and 4 at Barber Motorsports Park this weekend. Teammate Kyle Kaiser took home another podium finish in Round 3. The team continues to lead both driver and team point standings in the Pro Mazda Championship.
Maintaining a perfect streak, Spencer Pigot, 20, driving the #7 Doug Mockett & Company/Rising Star Racing/VitaminPro App/California Scents/Juncos Racing added his second pole award of the season and two more wins in the double header at Barber Motorsports Park. Pigot has captured all four wins of the 2014 season and leads the Pro Mazda Championship.
“It was an amazing weekend for us,” said Pigot. “We worked really hard to get the car right during practice and it paid off in qualifying as we were able to get pole. Both races went perfect. We kept the lead at the start of the Round 3 and pulled away for the win. Round 4 was more difficult and I had to pass Scott (Hargrove) around the outside of Turn One. It was close hard racing and a lot of fun. I can’t wait for the next rounds in Indy. I have to thank everyone at Juncos Racing for their hard work.”
American Kyle Kaiser, 18, driving the #18 InterVision/NetApp/JuniperNetworks/Riverbed/Juncos Racing car claimed his third podium of the season finishing third in Round 3 after qualifying fourth. Kaiser finished fifth in Round 4 at Barber Motorsports Park. The young American holds on to second in the championship.
“This was a bit more of a difficult weekend compared to St. Pete,” said Kaiser. “We struggled with the setup during testing, but were able find a good car for qualifying putting three of the four Juncos cars in the top five. In Round 3 I had a good start and was able to make a pass on the outside moving into third and holding that position the rest of the race. In Round 4 I started in fifth and didn’t have the best start falling back a spot. Luckily on the restart I was able to move back into fifth and held on to that to the checkered flag. Overall the team did an excellent job and I’m looking forward to our next race in a couple of weeks.”
Rookie José Gutiérrez, 17, driving the #5 Racing for Mexico/Juncos Racing car gave a strong performance qualifying fifth for Round 3. The young Mexican finished inside the top 10 in ninth for both Round 3 and 4 and moves up to 10th in the championship.
“Barber was very interesting because everyone knew the track after running in Winterfest earlier this year which made it a very competitive weekend,” said Gutiérrez. “In Round 3 I had a bad start and dropped back to ninth. At Barber it is very hard to pass. In Round 4 I up shifted too early and two cars overtook me. I will be preparing myself even more to have a better weekend in Indianapolis in a few weeks.”
Argentinean rookie Julia Ballario, 22, driving the #6 Pistas Argentinas/Juncos Racing car continued to show improvement on track gaining speed and finishing in the Top-5 for practice. Ballario qualified 10th for Round 3, however struggled in both races going off track. Ballario finished Round 3 in 20th and 14th in Round 4.
“This weekend went well for us even though I went off track in both races and did not allow me to get the results we deserved,” said Ballario. “I’m happy with the speed I gained at Barber and I am looking forward to continuing to gain experience the rest of the season. Thank you to all of the team for their hard work and I want to congratulate them on the great start to the year. Thank you to Ski Argentinas, Argentina Art and all Argentines and fans who encourage me and give me support.”
After capturing four straight wins Team Owner Ricardo Juncos is thrilled with his drivers and team for their continued success in the Pro Mazda Championship. Juncos looks to continue this momentum when they head back to Indianapolis next month.
“What an incredible weekend for the team and drivers,” said Juncos. “This team continues to put the Juncos Racing cars up front in both qualifying and each race. Winning four races in a row and taking both pole awards is really special for any team. All of our hard work continues to pay off and I’m looking forward to accomplishing more with this team this season. I would like to congratulate Spencer on both wins, Kyle for another podium finish, Jose and Julia who continue to improve quickly in their rookie year. I want to individually thank each of our mechanics Ale Juncos, Robert Meixner, Claudio Novoa, Emanuel Talquenca, Gaston Galguera, Phil Ammerman, the driver coaches Peter Dempsey and Charles Crews, and our engineer Ernie Gonella. I would also like to thank my family and my wife Danielle for all she does for the team. Thank you to all of our amazing sponsors and all who support Juncos Racing.”
The 2014 Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires season continues next month with Rounds 5 and 6 May 9-10 on the 14-turn 2.439 mile road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. For more information please visit juncosracing.com and promazdachampionship.com.
About Juncos Racing: Ricardo Juncos, a former Formula Renault driver and son of a driver, grew up with a deep passion and desire for racing. At the age of 14, Juncos made his first steps in the racing community driving karts in Argentina. Through his success in karts Juncos was able to join the Formula Renault class competing throughout South America. After funding became difficult as many drivers experience over their career, Juncos began working for many race teams in order to continue his own racing career. During this time Juncos was able to learn all aspects of the car in and out, along with schooling in mechanical and electrical engineering. Stationed in Buenos Aires, Argentina and headed by Ricardo Juncos, “Juncos Racing” became a full-service Formula Racing team in 1997. By 2003, the team relocated to Miami, Florida as a full-service karting team. During the first few years in the U.S., the team picked up 19 local, regional, and national karting titles. Moving right along, Juncos Racing not only moved operations north to Indiana, but it developed into a formula open-wheel racing team in 2008. The team went into full swing, dedicating most of the time preparing drivers and crew members for the next level in racing. Following this transitional year, Juncos Racing participated in its first open-wheel series—the 2009 Star Mazda Championship. 2010 proved to be a big year for the team in the Star Mazda Championship capturing the driver championship and finishing second in the team championship. By 2012, the team’s operations expanded to include cars in the Firestone Indy Lights series and even fastest lap of the Freedom 100 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Juncos Racing currently operates out of Brownsburg, Indiana.